It's Still Here!!!

The energy surge is still with me and I have to say it is rather great to be able to get so much done without wilting.
I'm sure it has more to do with it being a bit cooler than it has been than anything else.

This morning I have spatchcocked a chicken and cooked it with lime, garlic and parsley butter. It is now cooling for DD and I to have with salad for tea. Andy has been fed chilli and rice and four portions have been frozen for pack ups.
The washing up and kitchen tidying are done and I am just having five minutes before I get the painting things out again and add another coat to the walls. Once that is done I'll be a bit stuck until the weekend as there will be some heavy furniture shifting to be done. I could have done it on my own when I was younger but not now.

Shopping done last night but I think I am just about done with T***o. Every week I go there are always several items on my list that they have run out of or have stopped stocking. I can no longer buy the larger bottles of Heinz 30% less fat salad cream from there. Last night they had none of their own brand butter and it won't be in until Friday and it looks like they have stopped selling their own brand battered haddock....I can't abide fish in breadcrumbs but apparently that is all I can have now.
I will either shop at Asda or wait until a weekend and go into the big town to Morrison's.

Sewing is on the back burner for the moment and I am missing it. There is a dress to finish and a quilt to finish for a Christmas present but I really want to get this decorating done now so that will be what I am doing mostly until it is finished.

Hoping that you are all having a great day.
Sheila-x-

Where Did That Come From?!!!

After walking all over York on Monday I had expected to spend the rest of the week hobbling about with a dodgy back and sore legs. Yesterday they were a bit iffy but flippin' 'eck....today I have woken up with masses of energy and whipped through the job list like I was on steroids or something.
Some laundry done, a meal cooked for Andy at lunchtime, a pot of chilli put on for tea today and some to freeze, two walls painted, kitchen tidied and living room hoovered.
There is just a small pile of ironing to be done tomorrow which is mostly Ruby's clothes.
I just need to mop the kitchen floor and I am done and dusted for today.

I will need to go and do some top up shopping tonight as we are getting short of veg, butter and milk but I won't be buying any meat for a while as I want to start to use up what we have in the freezers. I need to make room for all the meat and things I am making in advance for DDIL's party at the end of October.
We have decided on hot meat rolls....pork and beef and for vegetarians there will be veggie sausage which can be served with stuffing and apple sauce in a roll or just tomato sauce if they prefer.

I'm a little bit sad again today. My neighbour who I have known and been friends with for over thirty years is selling up and moving. She has just had the valuer round this morning. 
I'm not looking forward to the For Sale sign going up at all. I'm going to miss her very much.

Right....I shall go and finish off my jobs.

Hope you are having a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

A Little Sad Today!!!

Our Summer holiday with Ruby is over and in just one week she will be back at school.
It has gone so quickly but we have had some brilliant fun....in particular our visit to York yesterday.
The Jorvik Viking centre was really good and Ruby loved it but I am so glad that we pre-booked a time slot else we would probably have spent the whole of our five hours there in a queue. I could have quite done without the sight and sound (and smell) of the man using the toilet but Ruby thought it was hilarious.
It was a fabulous few hours and we would really like to go back although I don't fancy going there by car. Traffic was very heavy and I think it could get quite scary if you don't know where you are going once you get into the city centre.

Today I have to catch up on all the jobs I haven't got done over the last few days. I have the house to myself for the first time in a month so I should get quite a bit done.
I also need to catch up on blog reading which I will try and do this afternoon when I stop for a cuppa break.

Hope you have all had a lovely Bank holiday.
Sheila-x-

Nearly Empty House!!!

Well that's it for now. Ruby has gone home for a couple of days, DD is on her way to Manchester and Andy is asleep in bed. It's just me and the dog for a few hours and the house is as quiet as a church until Sunday when it will fill up again.
We are picking Ruby up on Sunday morning morning and going out for lunch then picking DD up from the station. An earlyish night before being up and off to York early on Monday morning.

I'm just having a few minutes and then I'll be dragging out the painting stuff and getting busy until Andy gets up.

It's very cloudy here this morning and although the thermometer says it's only 21C I still feel really hot and bothered. It's just started thrashing down with rain so that should make me feel a bit cooler.

Hope you all have a good Bank Holiday weekend.
Sheila-x-

A Picnic By The Lake!!!

Yesterday was a perfect day. Dry and warm but not overly sunny so we decided to pack up a picnic and drive down to Sudbury Hall and let Ruby have a run around in the adventure playground in the woods. When she decided she was hungry we wandered over to the lake and spread out our picnic blanket. It was a very simple picnic of cocktail sausages, snack eggs and boxes of prepared fruit but in the beautiful surroundings and fresh air it tasted like a banquet.

We paid a visit to the Museum of Childhood which was lovely although I did think the admission charge was a bit steep.
DD at 38 was shocked to see some of the toys she remembers playing with in a museum....lol.

I really shouldn't have but I just had to try the Rhubarb Ripple ice cream on offer....man it was good.

Sudbury Hall has changed quite a bit since I worked there twenty years ago. It's more child friendly and it was absolutely heaving with people which was really good to see.

We must have tired our little munchkin out....she slept until 9am this morning which is very unlike her.

Today Ruby has gone to Trentham Gardens with Aunty DD for a last day out for this week as she is being picked up at 10:30 in the morning to spend the day with Mummy who is off on Saturday morning for an exciting weekend in Dublin.
Ruby will be back with us on Sunday for another couple of nights sleeping over so in the meantime I will probably get some more painting done.

Thanks for all your lovely comments on my last post.

Have a fabulous day.
Sheila-x-